Switching Between Android and iOS

Don't use iMessage is the sure fire solution, especially if you are switching between devices frequently. You can but you will have to deactivate it every time 'before' you swap sim,

Could you not simply use the 5c offline without a sim or do you really need calls/texts at the gym?

There is no work around, other then using a different app. If you need iMessage interactivity then you're stuck using an iOS device, pure and simple.

Android and MMS

So, instead of creating a whole new thread, I thought I'd piggyback on the OP's topic.

We all know that iMessage handles MMS/video extremely well because its data driven instead of using carriers restrictions.

So, whats the best alternative for sending MMS on android? Is it best to upload a clip to the cloud (i.e. dropbox or google drive) and send the recipient the link for best viewing?

Or, does Whatsapp, BBM, etc handle this well? Truthfully, I'd like to stay away from those kind of services if I could.

HiDEF said:

So, instead of creating a whole new thread, I thought I'd piggyback on the OP's topic.

We all know that iMessage handles MMS/video extremely well because its data driven instead of using carriers restrictions.

So, whats the best alternative for sending MMS on android? Is it best to upload a clip to the cloud (i.e. dropbox or google drive) and send the recipient the link for best viewing?

Or, does Whatsapp, BBM, etc handle this well? Truthfully, I'd like to stay away from those kind of services if I could.

Click to expand...

Whatsapp has been pretty flawless in my experience, at least for photos and shorter video clips filmed on the spot.

Truth be told I've had a lot more problems with iMessage, photos not loading and quite often messages not being delivered at all...

I have a Moto X 2014 and a 5s, I switch between them as I get bored, and they each have their strengths. It's nice to have choice, now I just need a WP8 device

I'm actually thinking of selling my iPhone 6 and going full Android (OnePlus One).

I'm loving the switch. I find my Android just so much more fun to use, honestly more stable than iOS 8, faster, easier, and a much better value. The only thing the iPhone has over the OnePlus is the camera, but even then, the camera is good on the OnePlus.

The iMessage thing doesn't bother me. I usually use Hangouts. I don't find it that important to have my whole history of iMessage messages on my Android phone. Whatever SMS I get, I'm fine with.

epicrayban said:

I'm actually thinking of selling my iPhone 6 and going full Android (OnePlus One).

I'm loving the switch. I find my Android just so much more fun to use, honestly more stable than iOS 8, faster, easier, and a much better value. The only thing the iPhone has over the OnePlus is the camera, but even then, the camera is good on the OnePlus.

The iMessage thing doesn't bother me. I usually use Hangouts. I don't find it that important to have my whole history of iMessage messages on my Android phone. Whatever SMS I get, I'm fine with.

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I recently have become addicted to the voice feature with imessage. When I am driving it is so much easier to send a voice message than text to speech. I always have to look to verify the text to speech.

It is always good to commit to google services if you switch phones a lot; gmail, google drive, google caldendar, contacts, etc.

I generally love google services but everytime I switch to Android, there is just no replacing iMessage, the stock mail app and the camera for me. iMessage is so simple but so brilliant if you're texting folks with iOS devices.

Coming from trying to use google voice with sms (try sending a group text in lollipop from your voice number), iMessage and its simplicity is a welcome change.

mattopotamus said:

I recently have become addicted to the voice feature with imessage. When I am driving it is so much easier to send a voice message than text to speech. I always have to look to verify the text to speech.

It is always good to commit to google services if you switch phones a lot; gmail, google drive, google caldendar, contacts, etc.

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Yup, totally agree. The usefulness of iMessage directly correlates to the number of iOS users in your regular communication circle, for certain. I'd guess at least 75%, maybe more, of those I regularly call/message/etc use iOS so iMessage becomes a feature I find too valuable to leave behind. The newest functionality added in iOS 8 and Yosemite (quick audio and video messaging, continuity, including text messages) made it that much better.

tbayrgs said:

Yup, totally agree. The usefulness of iMessage directly correlates to the number of iOS users in your regular communication circle, for certain. I'd guess at least 75%, maybe more, of those I regularly call/message/etc use iOS so iMessage becomes a feature I find too valuable to leave behind. The newest functionality added in iOS 8 and Yosemite (quick audio and video messaging, continuity, including text messages) made it that much better.

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agree for the most part about imessage being superior but have you guys tried out an app like textra? does group messaging very well and has tons of settings. My biggest gripe with my Note 4 is the camera (dark room/night shots only) and the lack of shared photo stream (my family uses it alot). other than this i love android but these are near dealbreakers for me. I constantly switch back and forth between my Plus and Note 4 but everytime i got back to my Plus i'm so happy i'm back with iMessage. really wish it was cross platform

mustafu said:

I have a Moto X 2014 and a 5s, I switch between them as I get bored, and they each have their strengths. It's nice to have choice, now I just need a WP8 device

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I'm the same way haha, currently it's Nexus 5 (soon LG G3), iPhone 6 and Lumia 1020. I do like how iMessages gets backed up. Is there a app for Android that does that? I think Google Hangout does, but i'm not sure. I would wait and get a Windows phone later, they should come out with WP10 soon.

bgro said:

agree for the most part about imessage being superior but have you guys tried out an app like textra? does group messaging very well and has tons of settings. My biggest gripe with my Note 4 is the camera (dark room/night shots only) and the lack of shared photo stream (my family uses it alot). other than this i love android but these are near dealbreakers for me. I constantly switch back and forth between my Plus and Note 4 but everytime i got back to my Plus i'm so happy i'm back with iMessage. really wish it was cross platform

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I used Textra for a while, was actually the messaging app I finally settled on after experimenting with a bunch others. Problem is it's just a skin over SMS/MMS functionality so the benefits were really superficial for the most part.

Is it because people don't have unlimited texting? Is that why imessage is so important? Many of my friends use iPhones and I can hangout or SMS/MMS with them just fine. This includes group texting. It all works just fine across platforma for me. Not sure I could tie myself down to a device and operating system that I didn't think was better just for imessage.

That's just my take if course.

epicrayban said:

Is it because people don't have unlimited texting? Is that why imessage is so important? Many of my friends use iPhones and I can hangout or SMS/MMS with them just fine. This includes group texting. It all works just fine across platforma for me. Not sure I could tie myself down to a device and operating system that I didn't think was better just for imessage.

That's just my take if course.

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imessage is just a great messenger. It looks and performs better than anything out there. Voice messages, read receipts, videos actually retain the high quality. Also the integration across all apple device....mac, ipad, iphone with little to no set up. I like hangouts, but it looks like crap IMO.

The same way hangouts is better if you are chatting with someone using hangouts. imessage is better with people using imessage, and there are way more people using imessage than hangouts.

someone else mentioned shared photo streams, which is just flat out great.

mattopotamus said:

imessage is just a great messenger. It looks and performs better than anything out there. Voice messages, read receipts, videos actually retain the high quality. Also the integration across all apple device....mac, ipad, iphone with little to no set up. I like hangouts, but it looks like crap IMO.

The same way hangouts is better if you are chatting with someone using hangouts. imessage is better with people using imessage, and there are way more people using imessage than hangouts.

someone else mentioned shared photo streams, which is just flat out great.

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Summarized perfectly. Yes, its benefits are limited to the Apple ecosystem but within that group, it blows everything else away. I probably wouldn't feel so tied to it if my most frequent contacts weren't also using iPhones but as they do, it's leaps and bounds better than anything else I could use.

epicrayban said:

Is it because people don't have unlimited texting? Is that why imessage is so important? Many of my friends use iPhones and I can hangout or SMS/MMS with them just fine. This includes group texting. It all works just fine across platforma for me. Not sure I could tie myself down to a device and operating system that I didn't think was better just for imessage.

That's just my take if course.

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I hear you I have managed just fine with SMS and MMS. But I only use MMS for photos and group messaging. Please dont use it for videos. Imessage is certainly more robust. Photostreams are great, but not everyone I know has iOS, particularly my sons great grandparents, who would miss out on pics of my son if I didnt use some cross platform solution like flikr.

WhatsApp seems like it could be a full fledged replacement, but for whatever reason it isn't so popular in the US, at least in my circles.

I'm with you, I hate the principle of the 'lock in' drives me crazy. It actually has the opposite effect for me, rather than increasing the stickiness of iOS, it just pisses me off.

I used whatsapp on my iPhone and I use whatsapp on my android phone. Cross platform is better than the proprietary solution no matter.

nviz22 said:

So I own both a Note 4 and an iPhone 5C. My 5C is used when I go to the gym mainly. My Note 4 is my daily driver. iMessage creates texting issues on the Note 4 because the way the account(s) work. I plan on using a nano to micro sim adaptor. Any workarounds besides turning off iMessage or using my iPhone 5C as a daily driver?

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Sell both and get an iPhone 6+. It has a screen nearly as big as the Note 4 now ya know

I don't need iMessages mainly because most of my contacts don't use it. I used to enjoy WhatsApp. For MMS, it is one of the best out there. Except it doesn't do voice calls like Viber.

For MMS or long distance call, I use Viber. Or my parents just call me since they have Vonage. For free text messages, I use the Google Voice app or its mobile site. I really do miss using Talkatone for voice calls. I tried using Hangouts the other day and its dialer for VOIP, I still get confused.

I can never go back using iOS. It is longer to enjoy Android if you customize and use the apps below -

Nova Prime and its many launchers
All In One Gestures
DynamicNotifications, AcDisplay, Floatify, CM Locker, etc
Wakeup Touch Nexus
Screen Off & Lock
Notification Toggle
Lazy Swipe
QuickPic
MoboPlayer or MX Player
UberMusic w/ Metro UI skin